Refrigerator cabinet with



J. c. HAFNER 1,357,955

May 8, 1934.

REFRIGERATOR CABINET WITH REMOVABLE UNIT Filed June 18, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. John C. Hafnen' May 8, 1934.

'J.IC.HAFNERV REFRIGERATOR CABINET WITH REMOVABLE UNI! 2 Shoots-Skeet 2 Filed June 18, 1951 Patented May 8, 1934 arralenna'roa CABINET wr'rn REMOVABLE nmr John Charles Hafner, Luton,

to Electrolux Servel Corby mesne assignments,

poration, New York, N.

Delaware Applltiation June 18; 1

England, assignor,

Y., a corporation of 931, Serial No. 545,219

Germany November 27, 1930 Clalm8.

This invention relates to cabinets for frozen comestibles, milk, and the like, in suitable containers, and refrigerating means therefor.

One of the objects of this invention is to pro- 5 vide such a cabinet in combination with refrigerating apparatus which is removable as a unit without disturbing the containers or the insula tion around the containers in the cabinet.

Further objects and advantages will be ap- 1 parent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in

which, v

Fig. 1 is a top view'of a cabinet with the top of the outer casing removed;

Fig. 2, a vertical sectionon line 2-2 in Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a view of the refrigerating apparatus unit removed from the cabinet; and i F1:ig. 4, a side view of the apparatus shown in 3. Referring to the drawings, in which like reference numerals indicate like parts, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, a cabinet contemplated by this invention comprises an outer casing fabricated in any well known mannenfor exam- 5 ple of sheet metal or the like, enclosing an apparatus compartment 11 at one side and a plurality of chambers or wells 12 and 13 formed by suitable heat insulating material 14 and adapted to receive ice cream cans, milk cans, or other con- 0 tainers, 15 and 16 respectively. The apparatus chamber is separated from the insulated portion of the cabinet by a partition 1'7 having an opening therein provided with a closure plate 18 fastened to the partition by screws 19 or equivalent fastening means. I For the purpose of this disclosure the refrigerating apparatus is an absorption refrigerating unit of the pressure equalized type which is W mountedon and extends through the removable plate 18 with a portion of the gas heat exchanger andthe evaporator disposed in the insulated portion of the cabinet'and the other'parts of the apparatus within the apparatus chamber when the unit is fastened in position. The insulation between the chambers 12 and 13 iscut out to receive the parts of the refrigerating unit on that side of the plate 18. Insulating pieces or slabs 20 and 21 are removable with the refrigerating unit and when the latter is fastened in position fill the space between the chambers 12 and 13 except that occupied by the evaporator and the adjacent portion of the gas heat exchanger.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawings, the

I refrigerating unit mounted on the plate 18 comprises a generator 22, a condenser 23, evaporator 24, gas heat exchanger 25, absorber 26, and

liquid heat exchanger 2'7 connected as shown in a well known refrigerating system of the absorption type in which the pressure is equalized by- -go an inert gas circulated between the absorber and. evaporator. The generator contains asolutionl' of refrigerant in an absorption liquid such as am-- monia in water. I

In operation, heat applied to the generator 22 e5, expels ammonia gas from solution which passes to the condenser 23 where it is cooled and liquefied byheat transfer to cooling water circulating through conduit 28. Liquid ammonia from the condenser flows in conduit 29 through the 88- heat exchanger 25 and discharges into the top of the evaporator'24 as best shown in Fig.2. Inert pressure equalizing gas'such as hydrogen also enters the top of the evaporator through conduit 30 and the liquid ammonia flowing downwardly in the evaporator over the baflie plates vaporizes into the inert gas absorbing heat from y the surrounding medium. The gas mixture flows j i from the bottom of the evaporator through the gas heat exchanger 25 into the absorber 26 in which the ammonia gas is absorbed by weak ab-- sorption liquid entering the top of the'abs'orber from the generator through conduit 31. 'The inert gas leaves the top of the absorber through conduit 36 and returns through the gas heat exchanger 25 to the evaporator 24. Enriched absorption liquid passes from the absorber 26 through heat exchanger 2'1 in heat exchange relation with the weak absorption liquid flowing from the generator to the absorber and is raised by the thermo-syphon pump 32 back into the generator, completing the cycle.

The evaporator 24 has fastened thereto in good heat conductive relation therewith a member 33 of good heat conducting material, preferably metal. The member 33 is fabricated with portions thereof conforming to the contour of the containers which are to be refrigerated and so designed that it will be in good thermal conductive relation with these containers when the refrig-' 10o crating apparatus unit is mounted in position. The containers may be removably attached to the member 33 by some fastening meanssuch as' screws 34 shown in Fig. 1. A door 35. may be provided in the apparatus compartment 11 for access to the refrigerating unit.

. To remove the refrigeratingv unit without -disturbing" the containers it is only necessary to remove the screws -19 and 34 and raisethe unit from the cabinet. When flat-sided containers no g refrigerating are used, as shown, the unit can be removed from the side. v

Although only two square containers have been shown it is obvious that more than this number 5 may be accommodated, arranged around the evaporator and that the containers may be of any configuration as long as their sides do not converge in more than one direction vertically.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various other changes may be made in the construction; and arrangement without departing from the spirit of the invention and there fore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

' I claim:

1. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a partition having an opening therein and forming in said cabinet an apparatus compartment and a compartment, heat insulating material within said refrigerating compartment forming two wells open at the top of the cabinet and a space connecting said wells also open atthe top of the cabinet and extending to the opening in said partition, two metal containers adapted to be inserted in said wells, a plate removably connected to said partition and adapted to close the opening therein, absorption refrigerating apparatus of the pressure equalized type- 40 ducting member, and heat insulating materialv removable with said plate and refrigerating apparatus as a unit adapted to flll said space between the wells not occupied by the refrigerating apparatus when the latter is mounted in the 5 cabinet.

'2. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet, a partition having an opening therein and forming in said cabinet an apparatus compartment and a refrigerating compartment, heat insulating material within said refrigerating compartment forming a plurality of open top wells and a space open to each of said wells and extending between two of said-wells to the opening in said partition, heat conducting containers removably positioned in {said wells, a member removably connected to said partition and adapted to close the opening therein, and absorption refrigerating apparatus of the pressure equalized type mounted on said member with the evaporator on'one side and the heat dis-- o sipating parts on the other side thereof such that when the member is secured in position the evaporator is locatedin said space in heat exchange relation with the containers in said wells and the other parts are located in the apparatus com- Partment.

, 3. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet enclosing a refrigerating compartment having an opening in one wall thereof, heat insulated material within said compartment forming a plurality of open top wells and a space communicating with each of said wells andv extending between twoof said wells to said wall opening, metal containers removably positioned in said wells, 9. member removably secured to said cabinet and adapted to close said wall opening, absorption refrigerating apparatus of the pressure equalized type mounted on said member and removable therewith as a unit, the evaporator of said apparatus being located on the oppositeside of said member from the other parts of the apparatus such that when the member is secured in position the evaporator is located in the space communicating with the wells and the other parts are located without said compartment, a heat conducting member adapted to transfer heat from said containers to the evaporator, and heat insulating material removable with said member and refrigerating apparatus as a unit adapted to fill said space between the wells. not occupied by the refrigerating apparatus when'the latter is assembled with the cabinet.

4. A refrigerator comprising a cabinet enclosing a refrigeratingcompartment and an adjoining apparatus compartment with an opening therebetween, heat insulating material in said; refrigerating compartment forming a'pluralityllO of open top wells and a space communicating with each of said wells and extending to said opening between the compartments, metal containers removably positioned in said wells, and a refrigerating unit removably secured in said cabinet such that the heat absorbing element thereof is positioned in said space in thermal contact with said containers and the other parts thereof are positioned in said apparatus compartment, said unit including a member adapted to close said opening when the unit is secured in the cabinet.

5. A refrigerator comprising, a cabinet having thermal insulation material forming an open top well and a space extending from said well to an opening in a wall of the cabinet, a heat conducting container removably positioned in said well, a removable member adapted to close the opening in said cabinet, and a refrigeration apparatus unit mounted on said removable member with the 130 cooling element on one side and the heat dissipating parts on the other side thereof such that when the member is mounted in position the cooling element is located in said space in thermal contact with said container in said well.

JOHN CHARLES HAFNER. 

